Travel Health and Malaria Prevention

One of the quickest ways to put a dampener on your travel plans is to come down with some illness. Malaria is one of the most common diseases contracted while travelling, and we are going to show you how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from it and be able to enjoy your trip more fully.

How It Spreads

Mosquitoes most often spread malaria, and you need to protect yourself from these pests if you are going to have any hope of preventing a malaria infection. One of the best ways to keep yourself safe from mosquitoes is to use mosquito repellent.

You can also use mosquito netting for any windows that you leave open at night when you are in a country where malaria is spread. If you are taking an infant or small child with you, you may want to cover their beds with mosquito netting as well.

Basic Protection

Antimalarials are very effective at preventing a malaria infection. This is usually a pill you take each day during the entire time that you are in a location where malaria is a risk. You should be aware that you need to take this medication as far as two weeks in advance of your trip. Travel Health and Malaria Prevention How long in advance you take the medication and how often you need to take it will depend on the exact kind of medication you are taking. There are a few different kinds of pills, and they all work slightly differently from one another.

You should assess the risk before leaving to a country that may have malaria-carrying mosquitos. Talk to your doctor and find out what is recommend for your circumstances. It may be that you don’t need to bother with an antimalarial if you won’t be going to any areas where there is a high risk of malaria infection. Pay attention to travel warnings and tourist information posted on the country’s tourism website. This will give you some of the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding protection against malaria that you can find.

You may need a prescription for antimalarials, depending on where you live. Be sure to find out about proper medication for your trip far ahead of when you leave. You should take time to sort out all the details of medication and malaria prevention before you go out on your trip and not try to take care of this issue in transit or when you arrive in the new location. You don’t know for sure what kind of resources will be available to you there, so make sure you take care of all this beforehand.

Protecting You and Your Family

No matter what protection you have taken, you still want to avoid mosquitos and the malaria virus, if at all possible. Look up where malaria poses the most significant risk and try to stay away from those areas. Limit your activities to places where there is ample mosquito netting and where you can get medical help if necessary. Also, you should know where to get medical attention in the case of an emergency, and you should ensure that your phone will work where you are going so that you can contact help if needed.

Look out for signs of malaria infection, such as flu-like symptoms. If you start to experience these within your first days of visiting a new area or in coming into contact with mosquitos, then it is best to be checked out for malaria. This dangerous virus needs to be treated right away for the best chance of success against it. The longer you wait to deal with the infection, the more likely it is to cause severe damage to your body.